{"id":608647,"date":"2026-08-29T21:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T21:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/608647\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T21:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T21:44:11","slug":"self-taught-artist-carves-logs-into-amazing-sculptures-using-a-chainsaw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/608647\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Taught Artist Carves Logs into Amazing Sculptures Using a Chainsaw"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Simon Bogg with his wood stag and elephant sculpture \u2013 SWNS<\/p>\n

An artist is carving out a living by making amazingly-realistic wooden sculptures\u2014after teaching himself how to use a chainsaw.<\/p>\n

The 53-year-old started carving with chainsaws 30 years ago and now makes thousands, selling his unique commission pieces across the UK.<\/p>\n

Simon Bogg usuallly spends up to three days working eight hour shifts to craft his most intricate pieces\u2014including horses, birds, rhinos, badgers, and elephants.<\/p>\n

The father-of-two freestyles each piece without any planning or mapping beyond simply using a source photo as a model for the more complex sculptures.<\/p>\n

His most popular creations are the carved owls, which can fetch anywhere upwards of $150, depending on the level of detail.<\/p>\n

Simon\u2019s biggest carving measures 22-ft tall (6.7m), and some of his pieces fetch between $6,800-$9,500 (\u00a35,000-\u00a37,000) each.<\/p>\n

He admits it\u2019s a risky job, \u201cEverything we do with a chainsaw you shouldn\u2019t do with a chainsaw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Chainsaw art by Simon Bogg \/ SWNS<\/p>\n

The fully self-taught artist from Louth, Lincolnshire, originally was in the building trades. Then his mother asked if he could make a mushroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never done anything with a chainsaw before. I used hers and spent a Sunday afternoon doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA week later she rang and said I\u2019ve got five orders for you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did the five mushrooms, then I did a bear, and then I worked a country show and sold everything I made. They loved it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019ve been doing it nearly 30 years\u201415 years full-time.<\/p>\n

Simon tends to make three carvings per week, on average, with varying complexity.<\/p>\n

Each one is either made from imported Cedar Wood from the Pyrenees Mountains or timber from local gardens.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chainsaw artist Simon Bogg with tree sculptures (owl, top, and rabbit) and log stash \u2013 SWNS<\/p>\n

\u201cI just get a lump of wood\u2014and get on with it. Chop away what you don\u2019t need and then start shaping up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of Simon\u2019s best works include a giant carved stag, an amazing rearing horse, and an elephant\u2014his most recent\u2014which he says could be worth around $6,800 (\u00a35,000).<\/p>\n

Hoisting a chainsaw for multiple hours can lead to sore backs, aching wrists, and pains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not to mention the risk of deafness and lingering vibrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say, \u2018When am I getting a proper job\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Simon Bogg with his wooden owls carved by chainsaws \u2013 SWNS<\/p>\n

SWNS news agency asked him which animals were his favorite to sculpt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really like the big ones, that are in your face\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe things that people say are impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

INSPIRE A FUTURE WOOD-CARVER By Sharing This on Social Media\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Simon Bogg with his wood stag and elephant sculpture \u2013 SWNS An artist is carving out a living…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[2273,642,307,304,305,306,6579,308,5040,93,61,60,3023],"class_list":["post-608647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-art","tag-artists","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-creativity","tag-design","tag-england","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sculpture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}